AFS Grant
Austin Film Society
Texas filmmakers have their own state fund: cash for features and shorts in production or post, with camera and finishing packages on top.
up to$20kGrantbetween rounds
Foundation or company fund United States, Oxnard
Roy W. Dean Grant
Run by From the Heart Productions
Small cash, large bundle: the winner takes USD 3,500 and a package of donated post, music and consulting worth several times that, for a film meant to do some good. Running since 1992 and open worldwide for a USD 48 fee, it names its past winners and consults with every applicant, which few paid grants do.
Grant or repayable, $3,500Open to writers anywhereA writer alone or a writer with a producer
Next dates not yet published
That closing date has passed. We check the funder's page every day and add the next dates once they are published.
The money
- Amount
- $3,500USD 3,500 in cash plus more than USD 20,000 in donated services and discounts, among them original music, animation, consulting and a camera rental
- What it is
- Grant or repayable
- To apply
- $48 to applyUSD 48, or USD 38 with a student card
Who can apply
- Applicant
- A writer alone or a writer with a producer
- Where you write
- Anywhere
- Rules
- Filmmakers from any country with a project at any stage from development to post-production and a budget under USD 500,000. Documentaries, fiction features, shorts, web series and multimedia work are all taken; students have their own grants from the same organization.
- Stages
- Development, production and completion
- Formats
- Feature, Series, Short, Documentary, Animation
- Language of the application
- English
When to apply
The fund opens once a year. The next cycle's dates are not yet published; we add them when they are. The fall round closed October 31, 2026, with finalists in January and a winner in February. Spring and summer rounds have run in past years; their 2027 dates are not yet posted.
| Round | Closes |
|---|---|
| 2026 Fall grant deadline | Oct 31, 2026 passed |
Dates are as the funder states them. Check the time of day and the time zone on the official page.
What it gives besides money
A free fifteen-minute project consultation for every applicant after finalists are named, and the partners' services for the winner.
Also open to writers in United States
Arts Innovator Award
Artist Trust
Two Washington artists a year receive USD 25,000 for pushing at the edges of their field, with no project report attached.
range$25kGrantbetween rounds
Creative Accelerator Fund
Illinois Arts Council
Illinois pays working artists USD 10,000 by lottery rather than by jury: show an active practice with two work samples and the state lottery draws the winners region by region.
range$10kGrantbetween rounds
Fellowship Awards
Artist Trust
Washington State's merit award for working artists: USD 10,000 with no strings, judged on the body of work rather than a project.
range$10kGrantcloses tomorrow
More development funding elsewhere
CMF Indigenous Development, Predevelopment and Production Programs (administered by the ISO)
Indigenous Screen Office with the Canada Media Fund
The Canada Media Fund's Indigenous money is handed to the Indigenous Screen Office to run, with higher contribution rates than the general programs: up to 84 percent of a predevelopment…
up toCA$750kGrant or repayablebetween rounds
Development and Predevelopment Funding (Broadcaster Envelope Program, Development)
Canada Media Fund
Television and digital series development in Canada mostly runs through this fund, but a broadcaster has to commit first: the money follows a development deal rather than a pitch.
VariesRepayablecloses in 37 days
Development Program
Telefilm Canada
Canada's federal feature film agency pays for script drafts and packaging through a production company, from a first draft to the attachment of a director and distributor.
up toCA$100kRepayablebetween rounds
Development Program (ISO Story Fund)
Indigenous Screen Office
An Indigenous writer can apply here alone, without a producer or broadcaster, for research, script drafts, story editing, knowledge keepers and pitch materials.
up toCA$40kGrantbetween rounds
Also useful
Fellowships and labsPrograms that pick a few writers and work with them for months, on the events pages.Where Creative Europe's development money goesEvery MEDIA development grant since 2014, by country, company and year.How to write a treatmentThe document a development application is built on, step by step.Screenwriting eventsContests, labs, festivals and conferences, with their deadlines.